


Lions and Hedgehogs

by GatorGirl2016



Series: 2020 Supernatural Shut In Prompts [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Animal Shifter Castiel (Supernatural), Animal Shifter Dean Winchester, Comfort, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Castiel (Supernatural), Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Mild Blood, Mild Gore, Protective Castiel (Supernatural), Protective Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:28:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25150891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GatorGirl2016/pseuds/GatorGirl2016
Summary: Dean is a lion shifter and the future heir to the pride while his mate, Castiel, is a hedgehog. Castiel's animal form causes him to get teased a lot in school. One of Castiel's bullies, Cole, challenges Dean for future leadership to the pride. After the fight, Castiel has to patch up his wounded mate. Dean makes sure Cas knows that he would always choose him and adores his cute little hedgehog.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Lisa Braeden/Cole Trenton
Series: 2020 Supernatural Shut In Prompts [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805041
Comments: 8
Kudos: 82





	Lions and Hedgehogs

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! So, I wrote this little fic based off the prompt "You've got to calm down before I can fix you up, ok?" for ALLEIRADAYNE’S 2020 SUPERNATURAL SUMMER SHUT-IN over on tumblr.  
> I would love to thank alleiradayne for the wonderful prompt that inspired this piece.  
> I'd also like to thank lonewolf3450 for being my awesome beta!  
> Hope you guys enjoy the story!

Castiel had just shut his locker when he was slammed into the cold metal. He tried to push back against the body that was leaning against him, but they were far stronger than him. He sighed heavily. Even though he was dating the future leader of the pride, people still taunted and teased him because of his animal form. Sometimes Castiel hated being the lone hedgehog in a pride full of lions.

A gravelly voice spoke next to his ear. “Hey there pipsqueak! What little game shall we play today?”

Castiel froze his struggling, having recognized the voice instantly. Cole Trenton was a former star football player and was struggling to get good enough grades to pass his senior year. His girlfriend, Lisa Braedon, was cheerleading captain and student body president. Both hated Castiel with a passion. Cole, because Cas had gotten him kicked off the football team for cheating and Lisa because he had squashed any chance she had for dating Dean.

“You know babe, I think it’s time he went dumpster diving again. Really give him a reason for his hair to be so spiky,” Lisa sneered somewhere behind him.

“Sounds like a good idea to me. What about you pipsqueak, ready to go explore another dumpster,” Cole grabbed him by the shoulder and spun Cas around.

“Why can’t you two just leave me the fuck alone,” Cas growled.

That earned him another shove against the lockers and Cas winced as the handle of the locker dug painfully into his back. “It’s your fault that I got kicked off the football team! You just couldn’t keep your muzzle out of business that didn’t concern you!”

“Like I said a dozen times, if you hadn’t cheated in the first place, you wouldn’t have gotten kicked off the team. Besides, you tried to pin it on me and there was no way in hell I was going to take the blame for you.” Cas scowled at the larger teen.

Cas’ head slammed against the locker as Cole’s fist connected with his nose. “Ow you fucking fucker,” Cas shouted. His bag fell to the ground as he clutched his broken and bleeding nose in his hands.

“You never learn when to shut your mouth, do you pipsqueak,” Cole leered.

Before Cas could respond, Cole grabbed his jacket and pulled him down the hallway behind him and Lisa. He might be a hedgehog, but he wasn’t meek and docile. Cas tried to rip loose but it was pointless. No matter how much he struggled, his strength was nothing compared to the lion’s. He tried shouting for help, but a hand suddenly clamped over his mouth.

“You’re the reason I’ll never be head lioness of the pride. What Dean sees in you, a pathetic excuse for a shifter, I’ll never know. How sad is it that you have the ability to change into an animal and it’s a stupid hedgehog,” Lisa taunted as she kept her hand tight over Cas’ mouth.

Cas glared at the woman’s words even if she couldn’t hear it. He parted his lips and grabbed Lisa’s finger between his teeth. She let out a shriek and ripped her hand from his mouth.

“You stupid bitch,” she screamed. She kicked at Cas’ ankle, causing him to fall to the ground.

His hands scraped against the concrete, but he didn’t have time to focus on that as a foot landed a heavy kick to his side. He let out an involuntary yell and fell to his side. Even though Lisa was small, she was still a lion which meant she had quite a bit of power.

Cas received another brutal kick to his side, causing him to curl into a ball reminiscent of what he could do in his hedgehog shape. He thought about transforming but knew the two lions could cause a lot more damage if he did. He prayed that they would tire quickly and finally leave him alone.

All three froze when they heard a deep growl behind them. Cas smiled despite the pain he was in. He had heard that roar a dozen times, although it had never been directed at him.

“What the fuck do you think you two are doing,” Dean asked in a cold voice.

“Taking out the trash,” Cole replied.

Another snarl ripped through the air. “That was a very stupid thing for you to say Cole. I warned you the last time that if you touched another hair on Cas, I wouldn’t hesitate to put you in your place.”

Cole scoffed. “What are you going to do Winchester? You think because you’re supposed to be the future leader of the pride, everybody is going to bend to your will! Well, I’m sick of it!” Cole gestured to Cas, who was still curled on the ground. “You disgrace our pride by choosing to mate with such a thing! Your father should have forbidden it! How could he ever hope to help you lead this pride?”

“And you think you and Lisa would be so much better at it? Just because you’re both lions doesn’t mean a damn thing. Cas has helped more with running the pride than you ever could!” Dean moved until he was standing directly in front of Cole. “You take your girlfriend and get the hell out of here. I’m banishing both of you from the pride!”

Cas heard Lisa gasp from behind him. Banishment was the worst possible punishment for a lion; they hardly ever survived on their own. He couldn’t help the smirk that crossed his face. Banishment was too lenient a punishment as far as Cas was concerned.

Cole released a snarl of his own at Dean’s words. “I challenge you! If I win, I will become future heir to the leadership and you and your pathetic excuse for a mate will be banished from the pride.”

Cas eyes went wide. He struggled to turn over, not wanting to miss the fight that was about to occur. He watched as Cole’s bag dropped to the ground and the man let his lion take over. In a matter of seconds, a large lion stood in his place.

Cas eyes shifted to where his boyfriend stood. Dean seemed unimpressed with the lion standing in front of him. His eyes flicked to Cas and he grinned at his mate. If Cole’s transformation had been fast, Dean’s transformation was hypersonic. Between one blink of the eye and the next, Dean had transformed into his lion.

Cas stared at Dean in admiration. He was easily discernible from Cole’s own lion. Cole’s entire body was light golden in color and his mane was one solid shade of molten gold. Dean on the other hand had a mane that was dark tan with streaks of black throughout. His coat was a dark tawny color and the edges of his ears were black tipped. He was also nearly half a foot taller than Cole.

Without warning, the two lions charged each other. They clashed against one another, each on their hind legs as their front paws raked against each other, leaving deep scratches in their wake. They twisted and turned their heads, biting into any piece of skin they could reach. They finally fell apart and Cas was able to assess the damage on each.

Cole was pouring blood from a puncture wound to his face and from a set of deep gouges in his left shoulder. Dean on the other hand had three long claw marks on his side that had blood dripping from them. The two lions charged each other again and again in a flurry of teeth and claws.

By now the fight had drawn over half the student body and most of the staff. Even though they were on school grounds, not a single person dared interfere with the battle. This wasn’t just a schoolyard fight; this was a challenge to see who the future leader of the pride would be.

Cas sat up and watched in glee as Cole lost his footing and went down. Dean was immediately upon him, delivering multiple crushing bites and Cas heard bones break. When Cole fell still, Dean backed off and waited to see what would happen. Dean had no intention to kill his opponent and wouldn’t keep fighting if Cole was unable to fight back.

Cole tried to stand to his feet but immediately collapsed back to the ground. After the third attempt to rise, Cole was finally able to get to his feet. Dean stared at him; his head held high even as blood trickled down his face from a ripped ear and a long mark that ran from his eye down his cheek where Cole had caught him with a tooth. His tail flicked back and forth in anticipation of another attack.

Cole let out a weak growl before turning around and slowly starting to limp out the parking lot. Dean turned his massive head to glare at Lisa. He gave a low warning growl and watched in satisfaction as Lisa scrambled to grab her bag and Cole’s before rushing after her injured boyfriend.

Cas jumped when he felt somebody place a hand on his shoulder. He looked up into the face of his history teacher, Mr. Singer. “You got a mate to go patch up. Get him to the clinic and see that he’s taken care of. Make sure you get yourself taken care of too.”

Cas nodded mutely. He watched as the teachers started clearing out the students and telling them all to get to their buses or start heading home as the challenge was now over. Cas was nearly pushed backwards as a large shaggy head bumped into him.

He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around as much of Dean as he could reach. “Alright you big sap. Let’s get you to the clinic so I can treat your wounds.”

Cas shakily got to his feet, using Dean as support. They slowly made their way to the clinic and Cas collapsed into a chair as soon as he was inside. He didn’t even have a moment to catch his breath before hands were cradling his face. He looked into Dean’s concerned green eyes.

“Honeybee are you ok? What did those assholes do to you? Damn, look at your face, it’s covered in blood and I think they broke your nose! What about your ribs, I know that bitch kicked you a couple times? I swear if he wasn’t already banished, I might beat Cole up all over again.” Dean looked down at Cas’ hands and a whimper escaped his throat. “Cas, look at your hands, they are all scraped up. We need to get you patched ASAP.”

If Cas had been the only one injured, he would have adored having Dean’s attention so focused on him. The truth was his injuries paled into comparison to Dean’s and Cas was more concerned with getting Dean’s wounds treated. He grabbed Dean’s wrists, trying to ignore the flash of pain it caused. “Dean, you’ve got to calm down before I can fix you up, okay? I know you’re worried about me, but you’ve got way more serious wounds.”

“I’m not worried about my wounds Cas. I’m more worried about you. These scrapes could get infected and if we don’t get your nose taken care of, it could heal crooked. What if Lisa broke a rib,” Dean rambled on, completely ignoring Cas’ concern for him.

“I’m fine Dean. My ribs might be bruised but they aren’t broken. If my nose heals crooked, so what. My hands aren’t that bad, just the edges of my palms got scraped up. Those scratches on your side and face are way worse not to mention, that ass tore your ear open. Just let me take care of your wounds, then you can fret over me all you want,” Cas pleaded, hoping Dean would listen to him.

Dean shook his head. “Honeybee, you’re way more important.”

“Dammit Dean, let me take care of you first or else no sex for a month,” Cas nearly shouted.

Dean’s eyes went wide at the threat. He knew from experience that Cas always followed through on his threats. “Fine,” Dean said curtly.

Cas flashed him a grin before getting out of his chair and going to get the supplies he needed. This wasn’t his first rodeo patching Dean up and he knew where everything in the clinic was. In a few minutes, he had everything he needed and dropped them on the examination table. He padded the seat. “C’mon buttercup, up you go.”

Dean rolled his eyes at the nickname but did as his boyfriend asked. Cas grabbed some gauze and wiped away as much of the blood as he could. Dean watched as Cas dumped some hydrogen peroxide on a pile of gauze before using it to wipe at the cuts on his side, face, and ear. Cas made sure to dab at the array of shallow punctures he had across his chest and sides from where Cole’s claws had tried to sink in. Once the wounds were clean, he held some gauze against them, trying to prevent them from continuing to bleed. He grabbed Dean’s hands and replaced them with his own.

“These scratches are going to need stitches. It’s a good thing Nurse Donna keeps a healthy supply of local anesthetic on hand. I’m not sure what to do with your ear though. I can try and stitch it back together, but I think it’s going to heal jaggedly no matter what,” Cas explained as he went to the cabinet and got the anesthetic and a syringe.

“Just do your best honeybee. It’ll add character to my already rugged good looks.” Dean flashed a smirk towards his boyfriend.

Cas rolled his eyes as he walked back over. “With as many fights as you get into, it’s a good thing I’m training to be pride healer and that these kinds of wounds are now second nature for me to take care of. But could you please tone down the fighting, I can only take so much of your rugged good looks as you call them. I’d really prefer it if your skin didn’t become a patchwork of scars.”

Cas moved Dean’s hand from his side so that he could remove the gauze to stick Dean with the needle. Dean sucked in a breath as Cas injected the anesthesia into his side. “I’m sorry Cas. Now that Cole’s gone, there won’t be as much fighting.” He dropped his eyes to the ground. “You were right, I should have kicked him out a long time ago. Because of me, you’ve gotten hurt way more than you should have. What kind of mate am I if I can’t even keep you safe?”

Cas set the needle down and cupped Dean’s face in his free hand. “Dean, you are the best mate in the world. I know you were trying to give them a chance, so you didn’t have to banish them. We both know the hardships they will have to face now.” Cas paused and let out a sigh. “I know I may not be as strong as you, but I could handle what they did to me. We only have a couple weeks of school left. I could have dealt with them for a little bit longer.”

Dean frowned and reached out to rub a thumb softly against Cas’ cheek. “You shouldn’t have had to put up with it though. We both know their grudge was with me, but they took it out on you. Cole was right, maybe I shouldn’t be the next leader if I can’t even handle issues like this.”

Cas poked at Dean’s side seeing if his mate felt anything. Seeing that the spot was fully numb, Cas put a pair of gloves on before grabbing the needle and thread to start stitching up the claw marks on Dean’s side. “Sweetheart, Cole was wrong. You are going to make a fantastic leader of the pride. Trying to show mercy and being willing to give a second chance isn’t weakness. We both know how much you wanted to avoid banishing them, but they gave you no choice. I might turn into a hedgehog, but I can handle quite a bit even from a couple of asshole lions.”

“You know I don’t think any less of you because of what you change into. Like they say, there are big personalities in small packages. I love your hedgehog, he’s freaking adorable,” Dean said as he leaned over to press a kiss into Cas’ spiky locks.

Cas pulled away, now finished with stitching up the wounds on Dean’s side. He patted at his hair, trying to force it to lie flat. He huffed at its refusal to do so. “Stupid hair. Why couldn’t you just lay flat for once,” he growled as he filled the syringe with anesthetic once more.

“Hey, leave your hair alone. I like how spiky it is. It gives it a perpetual sex look.” Dean reached out and carded his fingers through Cas’ thick ebony locks.

Cas couldn’t stop the upturn of his lips at the compliment. “Ok, I need you to hold still. I’m going to numb your cheek next so I can get that scratch taken care of.”

Dean held perfectly still as Cas stuck the needle in and injected the cool liquid. “I’m gonna talk all funny once this sets in, aren’t I?”

A small chuckle escaped the hedgehog. “Pretty much.” Cas stared at his hands as he thought back to what Cole and Lisa said. “Dean,” he said hesitantly. “Am I a disgrace to the pride? Would it have been better for you to mate another lion or at least something bigger and stronger than a stupid hedgehog, maybe a wolf or a bear.”

“What, no! Don’t listen to what they said! Mom and dad adore you and you’re invaluable to the pride. Even if you wantd to just stay home and play house, I would still want you as my mate Cas. Yur everthing to me! They were de digrace to the ride not you. I mean, whor erse is gonna patch my ass up afte I get hurt?” As Dean spoke, his words slurred more and more as the anesthetic kicked in.

Cas couldn’t help but laugh at his mate which earned him a glare in return. He poked Dean’s cheek just to make sure it was fully numb. “You probably shouldn’t try to talk anymore until the anesthesia wears off. Now hold still for me while I stitch this up. You move and I might stick the needle in your bone.” Cas started sewing the jagged edges of the cut together. “Thank you for what you said though. I don’t know why you chose me but I’m glad you did. I love you very much buttercup.”

Once Cas was done with the cut on his cheek, Dean wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. He nuzzled into Cas’ throat and a deep purr emanated from his chest. He smiled when he felt Cas run his fingers through Dean’s shaggy blonde hair. “Lrve ew too.” It might have been garbled but Cas knew what his mate was trying to say.

“You can deny it all you want but you are such a cuddler,” Cas teased.

Cas finally pulled away so that he could get Dean’s ear fixed up. He was proud of how well the stitches looked. Dean’s ear wouldn’t be too bad once it was fully healed. “Alright, you’re all done. Now, let me take care of my nose and my hands and we can go.”

Cas grabbed some stuff and walked into the bathroom so that he could look into a mirror. He didn’t say anything as he saw Dean leaning against the doorframe. He poked at his nose and winced. “Fuck, it’s definitely broken.” He asked Dean to grab a few more things he would need. Once he had the extra supplies he needed, he looked back into the mirror and started patching up his nose. Once that was done, he treated the scrapes on his hand. They were already pretty clean from when he had cleaned Dean’s wounds earlier.

“Can you help me wrap some gauze around my hands,” Cas asked his mate.

Dean nodded and followed the instructions Cas gave him. Now that both of them had their injuries taken care of, they worked on getting everything cleaned up. Once that was done, Cas told Dean he was going to grab Dean’s gym clothes and would be right back. On his way back he ran into the nurse.

“Hello Donna. Dean and I are almost done. Thank you for letting me use the clinic… again,” Cas said with a sigh.

Donna chuckled. “Oh, you betcha. I was just waiting for you to come let me know when you two were done.”

Once Dean was dressed, they stopped by Cas’ locker to pick up his bag and books before heading on home. “You know you can’t shift until those wounds are all healed. I won’t have you tearing your stitches,” Cas warned as they walked to Dean’s house. The lion grumbled but didn’t argue.

A few weeks later, as people walked by the Winchester house, they were amused at the sight they saw. A large tawny and black lion lounged on the grass in the front yard while a tiny little hedgehog ran up and down his back until he got tired enough to curl up in the lion’s mane. Not a single person even thought to say Cas was a disgrace to the pride. If he was able to make Dean that happy, then who were they to disagree?

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for giving this a read! If you want come follow me on tumblr at shadowywerewolfqueen, my beta at lonewolf34500, and also the creator of this prompt at alleiradayne.


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